Serena Williams is still working hard to get back to her pre-baby body, almost a year after welcomed her second child.
Sitting down with ET’s Rachel Smith to discuss her new docu-series, In the Arena: Serena Williamsthe 42-year-old professional tennis player talked about her health goals, her daughters and what it was like looking back on her career as a now-retired player.
As for the first part, the 23-time Grand Slam winner has been open in recent months about her desire to wear her beloved pre-pregnancy Valentino skirt, maintaining her social media following. updated on your progress after declaring your intention to wear the beloved denim garment again.
“The journey is coming! I actually have another one that I’m going to post,” she shared with ET about her goal of getting back into a skirt. “The fun part is that when the journey ends, I just bought new pants that I can’t wear.”
The mother-of-two added: “But I’m still getting there, I still have a bit more baby weight to lose.”
There is certainly no rush from her fans, especially since the tennis GOAT just gave birth to her second daughter, Adira, in August. Williams also shares 6-year-old son Olympia with her husband of six years, Alexis Ohanian.
While Adira isn’t yet old enough to be able to give her mother her unfiltered opinions, it’s an issue that Olympia has no problem with. Earlier this year, the older of Williams’ two daughters hilariously questioned her mother as she put on her makeup, asking why she would be putting in the work when she had “nowhere to go.”
Williams told ET that things this second time around were a little more manageable — and less stressful — than when Olympia was a baby.
“I think (the) second time is — I’m a little bit, but more so, you know, if Adira falls, I don’t die like I did with Olympia,” she explained. “Now I’m like, ‘Oh, she’s tough, she’s going to be fine.’ And she’s tough.”
While Williams has been intensely focused on getting back to her pre-baby body shape, she’s also making sure her kids don’t see it as anything more than a health goal. Earlier this year, she I talked to ET and addressed the importance of instilling body positivity principles in her girls.
“For me, it’s really important that they love who they are and how they look,” she shared at the time. “I also promote this positivity by encouraging them to compliment others, especially compliments to other girls. So if I see a girl in their class, I’m like, ‘Oh, she looks pretty, right?’ She’s like, ‘Yeah, I like her hair.’ I’m like, ‘I like her hair too.'”
She continued, “So I just encourage that because it doesn’t matter what they look like. If you can find something positive about them, then you will also find something positive about yourself and then you will win. “
Another message she would like her daughters to learn is the same one she says she would tell her younger self. As the ESPN+ docu-series pulled archival footage from his prolific tennis career, Williams said it gave him a chance to look back and re-examine his life and years in the sport.
“Relax a little more,” she said of what she would tell her 14-year-old self. “I was so intense on the court and I wanted to be perfect every moment and obviously that’s not possible. just relax and, you know, I think that would have helped me a little.”
The documentary series, directed by Thank You, Good Night: The Bon Jovi Story director Gotham Chopra, recently premiered at the Tribeca Festival to rave reviews. The show shows Williams deconstructing important moments in his career and the impact that each victory and defeat had on his life.
Watch a teaser of In the Arena: Serena Williams in the player below:
The documentary series premieres on ESPN+ on July 10.
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